The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-04-08

possible to the human voice, pitched
in its highest key. IL was as II the
inmates OF score OF lunatic asylums
had been turned loose in those Ten
nessee woods.
"When the yelling had in some de-
gree subsidized, from sheer vocal ex-
haustion, the soldiers began to cast
about for other means to make n
noise. 1t didn't matter what it was
the more discordant the better, only
so that it helped to swell the awful
din. Meanwhile, all the brass bands
were playing-though nobody could
tell what the tunes were-the Shrek OF
flies and rattle OF drums were heard
on every hand and the buglers strain
ed to make themselves heard until it
seemed as il they would blow their
heads off. Then the artillery opened.
Gun after gun joined in the mighty
chorus until every battery in the corps
was sending forth its thunders to echo
among the mountains. Regiment alter
regiment began to fire their muskets.
The men took the cartridges from
their boxes, poured in the powder,
jammed in the paper for wadding and
blazed away. The balls they threw
upon the ground; there was no fur
ther use for them. Perhaps you can
imagine the din; but it's more likely
you can't. When the soldiers had
shot away their cartridges they hunt
ed up all the camp kettles and tin
pans and beat them furiously with
sticks and stones, still yelling and
shouting as fast as they could gather
breath enough to do SO. The camp
was literal pandemonium. Heaped
with wood the fires b!azed high, and
the forest was aglow with light.
"Did the generals try to stop the
riot? Not bit OF it, They felt just as
hilarious and yelled as loud as any
body else. There was no rank in
camp that night. Officers and men
joined in the appalling racket, vying
with one another in producing the
most startling effects. Half an hour
after the trouble began an orderly
from headquarters brought around
On order. 1t said:
'Regimental commanders will issue
ration OF whiskey to each officer and man.
p. S.-Give en- n double ration.
"The army was not exactly tenn
perance society, pledged to total
lieve this order was received
with great enthusiasm. 1t was
not long till the 'commissary' was dis
turbed, each man receiving his portion |
in his canteen or tin cup. An Illinois
colonel mounted stump and, as he |
held up his canteen, declared that a
man who wouldn't get drunk that |
night didn't deserve to have a country; |
and il any man Of his regiment should |
be found sober IN one hour by the
watch he would be- tried on the spot
by drum head courtmartial. He |
then set an example by emptying his |
canteen at single pull while the boys |
cheered with tremendous vigor.
"Under the exhlarating influence
OF the liquor the din became
simply infernal-even that word
seems weak and meaningless
to describe such O scene. There
was no violence, no fighting, every
body had had enough OF that. 1t |
was simply happy drink all
round. Thousands OF voices joined
in singing the old army songs-'Battle
Cry OF Freedom Red, White and
Blue Tramp, Tramp John Browns
Body and therude parodies OF Dixie
and Bonnie Blue Flag If harmony
was lacking the deficiency was made
up hundredfold in the vast volume
OF sound. Now and then somebody
would start up the doxology-Praise
God From Whom All Blessings Flow
to the tune OF odd Hundred, and
those leather-lunged veterans would
sing it as it was never sung before.
There wasn't a thought OF irreverence
about it, either. They sung it with
the spirit and with the understanding
also, as truly as ever did the worship
pers at Methodist camp-meeting.
"AIen did all sorts OF grotesque and
ridiculous things. They climbed trees
and yelled from among the branches;
they made heroic speeches from logs
and stumps; they turned their clothes
inside out; they rode one another on
poles-they did everything that great
fertility OF resource in this direction
could suggest. At the headquarters
OF our brigade a horse bucket full OF
egg-nog was made, and the general and
his staff INDUCED in copious libations.
After several rounds they sailed
fort and seized the instruments OF the
band, and formed for parade
through the camp. The general head.
ed the procession with the bass drum,
which he pounded so furiously that he
broke in one OF the heads. The
staff officers, with horns, blew the
most wildly discordant blasts. As
thar M n ,.chad hithar and thither- reo- |